Breakdown firearm



April 18, 1939. 5 LEW|$ 2,154,517

BREAKDOWN FIREARM *F'iledFeb. 7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1939- v G. s. LEWIS 2,154,517

BREAKDOWN FIREARM Filed Feb. 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 18, 1939 BREAKDOWN FIREARM George S. Lewis, New Haven, Conn, asslgnor, by

mesne assignments, to Western Cartridge Company, a corporation of Delaware Application February 7, 1935, Serial No. 5,416

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in breakdown firearms, that is to say, that class of firearms in which a barrel-unit and a butt-unit are hinged together for relative pivotal movement.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a durable and rugged breakdown firearm construction which may be produced at a low cost for manufacture.

A further object is to provide a neat and attractive firearm of the class referred to, in which the exterior portions of the joint between the relatively pivotal units thereof are so covered as not to require the extremely-fine shaping and finishing ordinarily required to produce a workmanlike appearance.

Another object is to provide improved means for retaining the forestock in place upon the barrel-unit, with capacity for ready removal and 3 replacement.

A still further object is to provide simple, reliable and effective means for insuring the seating of the rear end of the forestock-unit against its bearing-surface upon the butt-unit, to thereby 5 substantially preclude objectionable looseness at this point.

A further object is to provide improved means for assembling the forestock-shoe and forestockretaining means to the forestock itself.

) With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims, the present invention includes all features disi closed therein which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a broken view in side elevation of a breakdown shotgun embodying the present invention;

) Fig. 2 is a similar but less comprehensive view,

shown partly in vertical longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a broken view of the rear end of the barrel-unit; forestock and certain parts organized therewith being shown in vertical longitu- & dinal section;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3; v

V Fig. '7 is a broken view in side elevation of the barrel, with the forestock removed therefrom;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the forestockretainer;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the forestockshoe; and

Fig. 10 is a similar view of a blank from which the forestock-shoe may be formed.

The particular breakdown firearm herein chosen for illustration includes two major units pivoted with respect to and separable from each other. The rear unit of the firearm may, for convenience of description, be designated as the butt-unit and comprises in the main a frame and a buttstock 2 I. The complementary front unit of the firearm, designated for convenience of description as the barrel-unit, comprises in the main a barrel 22 and a forestock 23 removably secured to the under-side of the said barrel.

The frame 20 is formed with an upwardlyopening recess or pocket 24 receiving a rectangular barrel-coupling lug 25 forming a rigid feature of and depending from the under-side of the barrel 22 adjacent the rear end of the latter. The forward edge of the said lug 25 is formed with a transverse forwardly-opening notch, the semicircular wall 26 of which engages and bears upon a fulcrum-pin 21 extending transversely through the frame 20 and forming a fixed feature thereof. The forward end of the frame 20 is shaped to form a cylindrically-contoured bearing-surface 28 having its central axis coinciding with the central axis of the fulcrum-pin 21 before referred to.

Conforming in curvature to and normally bearing against the bearing-surface 28 of the frame 20 is a forestock-shoe generally designated by the numeral 29. The forestock-shoe just referred to comprises a forwardly-extending tang 30 having a vertical threaded bore 3|, a depending tongue 32, and complementary upstanding sideprongs or joint covering flanges 33-33. The respective rear surfaces of the tongue 32 and the side-prongs or joint-covering flanges 33 merge together and are curved in a manner conforming to the cylindrically-contoured bearing-surface 28 at the forward end of the frame 20. The forestock-shoe 29 may conveniently be formed of sheet-metal, such, for instance, as from a sheetmetal blank similar to that shown in Fig. 10, which may be struck up and shaped into the form shown in Fig. 9.

Preferably, the bent tongue 32 and the complementary bent prongs 33-33 are subjected, during forming, to cold-stamping or pressure of such severity as to amount, in effect, to a coining operation, so that the metal is compressed and hardened to such a degree as to render it sufficiently wear-resistant as not to require casehardening or the like. Thus, the respective rear faces of the tongue 32 and the prongs 33-33 may be so accurately shaped as not to require any machining operation in order to enable them to snugly fit the bearing-surface 28 of the frame 29.

The upper surface of the forestock 23 is provided with a substantially-semicircular barrelreceiving groove 34 conforming in curvature and adapted to snugly fit the bottom half of the barrel 22. The rear face of the said forestock .23 is milled or otherwise shaped to provide a vertically-curving recess 35 receiving the tongue 32 and the side-prongs 33 of theforestock-shoe 29, and resulting in the formation, on .the respective opposite sides of the forestock at the rear end thereof, of a pair of complementary joint-covering flanges 3636 overlappingthe-side-surfaces of the frame 20 and partially covering the curved line on which the curved rear face of the forestock-shoe 29 engages with the similarly-curved forward end of the frame 2|].

The central portion of the barrel-receiving groove 34 is cut away or .deepened' to provide-a longitudinal pocket or space 3l receiving vthetang 30 of the forestock-shoe 29 before :referred to. Secured to the under-face of the-tang '30 of the forestock-shoe 29 is a forestock-retainer 38, preferably formed of spring-steel or equivalent material, and bifurcated at its forward end to provide a pair of opposed laterally-yieldable clamping-arms 39-39 having stop-shoulders 39 449 and a downwardly-extending resilient thrustfinger 40.

The clamping-arms 39-39 of the 'forestoc-kretainer 38 are adapted to enter complementary grooves or recesses 4I-4 l, one of whichlater is formed in each of the respective opposite sidefaces of a retaining-lug 42 depending from and forming a rigid feature-of the barrel 22 :ata position forwardly of the barrel-coupling lug :251before referred to. The resilient thrust-finger of the forestock-retainer 38 .znormally :bears against the rear face of the :retainingelug .42 .and exerts a constant effort to force'the forestock23 and associated parts .in the rearward direction required to engage the :curved rear rfaceof the forestock-shoe withthe similarly-curved: forward face 28 of the frame .20.

The forestock-retainer 38 above referredto is provided with a vertical passage 43 andis'secured to the under-side of the tang 30 of the forestockshoe :29 by means of .akerfed stud 44 having extending from itsupper .end .athreaded shank45 passing through the passage 43.in the retainer 38 and into the threaded bore 3| in the tang 30. In its outer face the saidstud'4'4 .is formed-with an internally-threaded socket .46 and snugly fits within an upwardly-opening ;cylindrical :pocket 41 formed in the forestock 23. Threaded into the socket 46 ofthe :stud 441s the upper end of a coupling-screw '48 havingits head seated in a shouldered .bushing or .escutcheon '49 in turn mounted in the forestock 23.

As thus constructed and arranged, the stud -44 notonly servesto bind the forestock-rretainer 38 to the forestock-shoe-29 but also serves, inconjunction with the coupling-screw 48, to. secure the said forestock-shoe and forestockeretainer to'the forestock 23 itself.

As will be understood from the foregoing, the forestock 23 and its associated parts are firmly but releasably secured to the -under-surface of the barrel 22 by theentry of the clamping-arms 39- 39 "of "the forestock-retai-ner -38 in the -comforestock 23 by the thrust-finger 40 as above described also serves to exert a corresponding forward urge upon the barrel 22, with the effect .of firmly seating the semi-circular bearing-surface 26 of the barrel-coupling lug 25 upon the fulcrum-pin 21.

The barrel-unit, comprising in the main the parts 22 and 23, may be detached or separated from the butt-unit, comprising in the main the parts 20 and 2|, by first detaching the forestock 23 from'therbarrel 22. The detachment of the forestock maybe effected by drawingdownwardly upon the same to thus cause the clamping-arms 39 of the forestock-retainer 38 to ride out of the grooves 4| in the retaining-lug 42.

After'the forestook 23 has been detached from the barrel 22 as just above described, the said barrel, if first tilted downwardly in the position in which it is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1, may be moved relatively-rearwardly with respect to the butt-unit to thereby disengage the semicircular notch of its lug 25 from the fulcrum-pin 21 and thus permit the complete separation of the barrel-unit from the butt-unit.

After the firearm has been taken down, as above described, the forestock maybe re-applied to the under-face of the barrel 22, as is customary under the circumstances, by forcing the clamping-arms 39 upwardly upon the tapered lower end of the retaining-lug 42 of the barrel and ultimately causing the said arms to snap into the .grooves 4|. The parts will now have assumed the positions in which they are indicated in Fig. 3, in which figure, it will be noted, that owing to the absence of the frame for it to engage, the forestock 23 would be free to move relatively rearwardly and thus possibly detach itself from the barrel, were it not for the engagement of the stop-shoulders 39 on the clamping-arms 39 with the rear walls of the grooves .41 in the retaining-lug 42.

.It will thus be seen that when the firearmis fully assembled, the forestock-retainer .38 :ordinarily merely prevents the downward displacementof the forestock 23 with respect to the barrel 22, but that when the barrel-unit is detached from the butt-unit, as shown in Fig. 3, the said forestock-retainer also acts to prevent the rearward displacement, to an undesirable degree, of the forestock with respect to the said barrel.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all having fastening-means thereon; of a 'forestock removably secured to the said barrel; and a fore- 'stock retainer unit carried by the said forestock and having means engageable with the said fa'srespects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all tening-means of the said barrel to yieldingly couple the latter and the said forestock together; the said forestock-retainer also having a yielding thrust-finger formed integral therewith and engageable with the said fastening-means of the said barrel and normally urging the'forestock rearwardly with respect to the said barrel.

2. In a firearm, te combination with a barrel having a lug thereon; of a forestock removably secured to the said barrel; a forestock-retainer unit carried by the said forestock and having means engageable with the said lug of the said barrel to yieldingly couple the latter and the said forestock together; the said forestock-retainer also having a yielding thrust-finger formed integral therewith and engageable with the lug of the said barrel and normally urging the forestock rearwardly with respect to the said barrel.

3. In a firearm, the combination with a barrel having a retaining-lug thereon; of a forestock removably secured to the said barrel; a forestock-retainer unit carried by the said forestock and having a pair of spring-fingers yieldable laterally of the firearm and engageable with the retaining-lug of the said barrel to yieldingly couple the latter and the said forestock together; the said forestock-retainer also having a resilient thrust-finger formed integral therewith and engageable with the retaining-lug of the said barrel and normally urging the forestock rearwardly with respect to the said barrel.

4. In a firearm, the combination with a barrel having a retaining-lug thereon; of a forestock removably secured to the said barrel; and a forestock-retainer unit carried by the said forestock and having a bifurcated resilient portion embracing the retaining-lug of the said barrel to yieldingly couple the latter and the said forestock together; the said forestock-retainer also having a resilient thrust-finger formed integral therewith and engageable with the retaininglug of the said barrel and normally urging the forestock rearwardly with respect to the said barrel.

5. A breakdown firearm construction comprising: a butt-unit having a curved bearing-surface; a barrel-unit pivoted to the said butt-unit and having a curved bearing-surface substantially conforming to and engageable with the curved bearing-surface of the said butt-unit; and a pair of complementary joint-covering flanges carried by one of the aforesaid units and projecting over the respective opposite sides of the other of said units beyond the curved joint line at which the aforesaid curved bearing-surfaces of the respective units engage in a manner substantially concealing the said joint line.

6. A breakdown firearm construction comprising: a butt-unit having a curved bearing-surface; a barrel-unit pivoted to the said butt-unit and having a curved bearing-surface substantially conforming to and engageable with the curved bearing-surface of the said butt-unit; and a pair of complementary joint-covering flanges carried by the said barrel-unit and projecting over the respective opposite sides of the said butt-unit beyond the curved joint line at which the aforesaid curved bearing-surfaces of the respective units engage in a manner substantially concealing the said joint line.

'7. A breakdown firearm construction comprising: a butt-unit including a buttstock and a frame, the latter having a curved bearing-surface; abarrel-unit pivoted to the said butt-unit and comprising a barrel and a forestock-assembly, the latter being provided with a curved bearing-surface substantially conforming to and engageable with the curved bearing-surface of the said frame; and a pair of complementary joint-covering flanges carried by one of the aforesaid units and projecting over the respective opposite sides of the other of the said units beyond the curved joint line at which the aforesaid curved bearing-surfaces of the said frame and forestock-assembly respectively engage in a manner substantially concealing the said joint line.

8. A breakdown firearm construction comprising: a butt-unit including abuttstock and aframe, the latter having a curved bearing-surface; a barrel-unit pivoted to the said butt-unit and comprising a barrel and a forestock-assembly, the latter being provided with a curved bearingsurface substantially conforming to and engageable with the curved bearing-surface of the said frame; and a pair of complementary joint-covering flanges carried by the forestock-assembly of the said barrel-unit and projecting over the respective opposite sides of the frame of the said butt-unit beyond the curved joint line at which the aforesaid curved bearing-surfaces of the said frame and forestock-assembly interengage in a manner substantially concealing the said joint line.

9. A breakdown firearm construction comprising: a butt-unit including a buttstock and a frame, the latter having a curved bearing-surface; a barrel-unit pivoted to the said buttunit and comprising a barrel, a forestock-assembly secured to the under-side of said barrel and recessed at its rear end to provide on each of its respective opposite sides a rearwardly-extending joint-covering flange, and a forestock-shoe seated in the recess in the said forestock and having a curved bearing-surface substantially conforming to and engageable with the curved bearingsurface of the said frame; the aforesaid jointcovering flanges of the said forestock projecting rearwardly over the respective opposite sides of the said frame beyond the curved joint line at which the curved bearing-surfaces of the said frame and shoe respectively interengage in a manner substantially concealing the said joint line.

GEORGE S. LEWIS. 

